In many ways, the trip across Lake Tumbles began quite pleasantly. The water was calm. Captain Codger had a surprisingly good singing voice. And the cool sea breeze was a refreshing relief after the Desert of Mournful Meows.
Still, the ominous clouds ahead made Lauryn feel uneasy. And the more she thought about sailing into them, the more her stomach turned and the tighter her chest felt.
Meanwhile, Captain Codger soon ran out of sea shanties to sing. Instead, he decided to tell Little Lauryn Lollipop a few stories from his days on the high seas. And every tale he told filled her with more and more dread.
“Let me tell you about the Port Albert Pirates!” he shouted, as the winds whipped up and the water got a wee bit choppier. “Captain Rot-Eye and his crew of crooked scallywags chased me for weeks one summer. Cannonballs off the portside. Cannonballs off the starboard. I even had a cannonball blast half my beard clean off.”
Lauryn’s stomach lurched and the boat seemed to lurch in response, followed by a low rumble of thunder. Captain Codger stroked his bushy beard, which appeared to be no worse for wear since the pirate attacks. “Not sure how I managed to get myself outta that hairy predicament,” he muttered.
The boat plowed through a large swell, sending a spray of cold salty water into Lauryn’s face. “Are-are they still out-out there?” she asked through the shivers.
“Aye,” Captain Codger growled. That was not the answer Lauryn wanted to hear. Captain Codger looked at his passenger and saw how scared she looked.
“But don’t you worry!” he declared with as much reassurance as he could muster. “For all we know the garglesnuff scared them all off for good.”
Little Lauryn Lollipop’s chest got even tighter. “What. Is. A. Garglesnuff??!!” she shouted over the now-howling winds.
Captain Codger then proceeded to tell her exactly what a garglesnuff was.
Giant sea monster.
Eats sailors like popcorn.
Slimy tentacles with venomous suckers.
Razor-sharp teeth.
By the time Captain Codger finished describing the briny beast, waves were crashing down around the little boat. Lightning flashed around them, briefly illuminating the dark clouds that now looked eerily similar to a giant sea monster with slimy tentacles and razor-sharp teeth.
“It’s going to be OK!” Captain Codger shouted over the roar of the storm. “We’re getting close to the Haunted Triangle — and garglesnuffs hate ghosts!”
Little Lauryn Lollipop’s eyes bulged. “GHOSTS??!!”
“Probably shouldn’t have mentioned that,” the old sailor said. “But yeah, we need to cross through the Haunted Triangle … But I’m sure the ghosts that live there have better things to do than bother us.”
By the nervous manner Captain Codger kept looking around, Lauryn wasn’t sure she believed him. Or if the howling all around them was the wind or the shrieks of ghastly ghouls. “PICO!!!” Lauryn called out in a panic. “Got anything in that suitcase of yours to help us through this storm?”
Pico — who had been soundly asleep — gave a big yawn and blinked his sleepy eyes. Suddenly realizing how stormy things had gotten, he jumped to his feet and threw open his trusty trunk. “On it!” he said as half his body once again disappeared inside.
Lauryn held on for dear life as the boat lurched and rattled, threatening to rip apart at any moment.
A minute later, Pico reemerged, wrenching free a giant anchor from the impossibly small suitcase. Captain Codger seemed as surprised as Lauryn.
“A Wonder Anchor??!!” he called out. “By Davy Jones’ Locker, that’s exactly what we need! Toss it overboard!”
Lauryn and Pico heaved the anchor over the side and watched a chunky chain chase it from inside the suitcase. The mighty anchor sunk deep into the sea floor, firmly locking the boat into position.
Lauryn, Pico and Captain Codger huddled together as the storm raged on for the next several hours. Lighting flashed in the sky, producing deafening claps of thunder. Gale-force winds churned up massive waves.
But through it all, the little boat stayed securely anchored in place. And slowly but surely, the winds died down. The clouds broke up. The seas calmed.
Eventually, Lauryn opened one eye and found herself looking at bright blue skies and water as smooth as glass. Next to her, Captain Codger was peering through a spyglass.
“Land ho!” he declared after scanning the horizon, pointing ahead. “Weigh anchor, you scurvy dogs! It’s time to set sail again.”
Lauryn and Pico jumped to their feet and began hoisting up the Wonder Anchor. “Aye, aye, Captain!”
Lauryn was filled with tremendous relief as the boat got closer to shore. Between pirates and ghosts and garglesnuffs, she was more than ready to be back on dry land.
Her relief, however, was short-lived. As the boat reached the beach, the forest beyond suddenly began to tremble. A deep, menacing growl shook the trees, sending birds scattering in every direction.
*Gulp*
“Ready to go?” asked Pico, a noticeable quaver in his voice.
“Nope,” said Lauryn. “You?”
“Nope.”
The two adventurers took a deep breath and walked towards the woods anyways.
.
Ideas for your own journey!
Lake Tumbles taught Lauryn that her world can be a scary place — filled with pirates, garglesnuffs, ghosts and other threats that seem to be lurking around every corner. Our own world is plenty scary too. Climate change. Pandemics. Wars. It’s enough to make you want to curl up in a ball and hide under the covers.
To make things worse, social media often fuels feelings of dread and anxiety. You can spend hours scrolling through an uninterrupted stream of bad news and stories carefully designed to make you feel afraid and angry.
Then there are the everyday uncertainties closer to home. What if my mom loses her job? What if I don’t make the soccer team? Is my scratchy throat just a cold or something more serious?
The more these intrusive thoughts burrow into our brains, the more we spiral and the stronger the anxiety storms become.
But the key isn’t to hide from the scary things. Because ignoring the uncomfortable and unpleasant parts of life won’t make them go away. And injustices and other problems in our world need to be confronted.
No, the key is to learn how to prevent stress and anxiety from capsizing your boat — to find your own Wonder Anchors that will keep you safe and sturdy during those storms.
GROUNDING ACTIVITIES
The following techniques can help bring you back to the present moment and prevent you from feeling overwhelmed when strong emotions take hold.
Focus on the achievable. Anxiety creeps in when we feel a lack of control and an inability to know how things are going to turn out. One strategy to ease those feelings is to focus on what you can control. Take your dog for a walk. Plan your outfit for tomorrow. Reorganize or redecorate your room. Cook a favourite recipe. This can help you regain a sense of control, while distracting the brain from worrying thoughts.
Play “I spy.” Is your mind racing with fears, doubts, worries and unpleasant memories? This activity can help stop those thoughts in their tracks. It’s like a visual scavenger hunt, where you attempt to spot as many things as you can of a particular colour. For example, choose the colour red. Now name all the things you see around you that are red. Red fire hydrant. Red t-shirt. Red bird. Red berries on a bush.
When you run out of red things around you — or your mind starts spiralling again — choose a different colour. Or choose to focus on sounds instead. A honking car horn. Birds chirping. The sound of your footsteps. Rustling tree leaves. Clinking silverware.
It’s a simple way to get you out of your head and bring your attention back to the here and now. And in doing so, it can slow the flurry of worry pinging around your brain.
Find a talisman. It can help to have a physical object to focus on when your mind gets stormy with stress and anxiety. This could be a piece of jewelry you wear, a little stone you keep in your pocket, a freckle on your arm or something else you can carry with you.
Once you’ve selected your talisman, think of a calming word or phrase to go along with it. Something like “relax” or “breathe” or “I’m OK” or “I’m safe.” Then, the next time you feel the stress and anxiety building, focus on your talisman and repeat your calming phrase again and again until the stormy feelings ease.
NEXT: CHAPTER 4 – FESTERFALL FOREST
PREVIOUS: CHAPTER 2 – THE DESERT OF MOURNFUL MEOWS
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